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10 | SUMMER 2020 | www.ladiesgaelic.ie promotion to the 2021 TG4 All-Ireland Senior Championship are the prizes on offer for the winners of the 2020 All-Ireland Intermediate Championship. The threat of relegation has been removed for the 13 counties participating and Westmeath, who were relegated last year, will hope to regain senior status at the first time of asking. Westmeath, who were playing Lidl National League Division 1 football this year, but struggling at the bottom before play was halted, were one of the four seeded teams in the Championship draw, along with Meath, last year's beaten finalists, and 2019 semi-finalists Roscommon and Sligo. Roscommon ran into Meath at Nowlan Park in last year's semi-finals and they've been handed two Leinster opponents in their qualifier group – Offaly and Wexford. When Tipperary won the 2017 All- Ireland Intermediate title, Wexford were arguably their toughest opponents in League and Championship that year, and the Slaneysiders remain a competitive outfit. Roscommon topped a group that also contained Offaly, and Leitrim last year, and the Connacht Champions will be fancied to advance again, although it won't be simple. It's an all-Leinster Group 2, with Westmeath, Longford and Louth pitched together. Longford's draw with Wicklow in the group phase last year ensured that they avoided a relegation dogfight, by virtue of kicking more points over the bar than Wicklow in that fixture The Midlanders will have their hands full again this year, with Westmeath boasting recent senior experience, while Louth will be eager to put their stamp on the Intermediate Championship after landing the 2019 Junior title. Group 3 features Meath, who will want to avoid an unwanted hat-trick later this year. The Royals have progressed to Croke Park for the 2018 and 2019 TG4 All- Ireland Intermediate Finals, but lost out both times, against Tyrone two years ago and then Tipperary. This page clockwise from left: Denise McGrath of Sligo 2. Aine Tighe, Leitrim 3. Eimear Byrne of Louth in action against Aisling Woods of Fermanagh 4. Rachel Dillon of Westmeath in action against Melissa Duggan of Cork INTERMEDIATE CHAMPIONSHIP